Roofing



Aug. 23, 1932. p P E 1,873,886

ROOFING Filed Feb. 27. 1929 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE P. HEPPES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY HFSNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COB- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS BOOFIN G Application flled February 27, 1929. Serial No. 843,107.

This invention pertains to composite roofing or roofing shingles, and is in the nature of an improvement over the present commercial type of felt base as haltic roofing.

One of the objects 0 my invention is to provide a construction of composite roofing of a thickness considerably in excess of that of the present day variety of asphaltic roofing, the increased thickness being attained by means which also serve to reenforce the strength of the roofing and to enhance its surface texture, without increasing inordinately the unit wei ht of the product. The foregoing is accomp ished in accordance with my invention, by applying to a suitable base, preferably of waterproofed felt sheets, an external coating layer of weatherproof and waterproof coating such as high melting point blown asphalt. or asphalt in aqueous emulsified form, and subsequently applying to the coated foundation a bulking layer of flake-like elements or fragments of felted fibrous material scattered over the coating layer in indiscriminate fashion while the coating layer is in an adhesive condition. The fragments or flake-like elements, will thus become aflixed to the foundation in the form of a more or less discontinuous layer,

the separate elements or fragments of which extend in various angular positions, some of the fragments being more or less spaced apart while at numerous points on the surface adjacent fragments will lap one another to a greater or lesser extent, thus producing numerous elevations and intervening depressions over the surface of the sheet. The base is thus considerably increased in thickness by the elevations scattered over its surface, while the intervening depressions, being free of the bulking material, permit the increased thickness to be attained with only a com paratively slight increase in the unit weight of the product, or at least, the weight is not increased to the extent that would result from a continuous layer or ply of material aflixed to the base and corresponding in thickness to the elevations secured by means of the more or less discontinuous bulking layer, as above described. By employing felted fibrous elements or fragments in the bulking layer, the

strength and durability of the product is great y increased due to the reenforcing action of the fragments, while the flexible nature of the product is substantially wholly preserved by the discontinuous nature of the ulking and reenforcing layer and by the flexible nature of the fragments themselves.

After the bulking layer has been applied to the base or foundation, as heretofore briefly described, an additional layer of coating similar to the first coating may be applied to the base so as to further seal the fragments to the base and provide additional waterproof protection for the sheet. The product may be completed by partially imbedding mineral surfacing of any desired variety in the second named coating so as to provide a masking layer therefor as well as a decorative finish for the product. The roofing as thus produced, exhibits a highly desirable rough textured appearance as a result of the numerous elevations and depressions appearing on the surface thereof, and in addition, presents an appearance of greatly increased thickness and is characterized by increased strength as a result of the reenforcing action of the bulking layer, and yet retains its flexible nature.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated several embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a commercial form of strip shingle and shows at the righthand side of the view the appearance of the shingle when out from a sheet embodying the features of my invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view omitting the layers of coating and surfacing material overlying the bulking layer so as to disclose more clearly the nature of the bulking layer;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the bulking and reenforcing fragments applied only to the exposed areas of the shingle, and

Figure 4 is a view in transverse crosssection through a portion of a shingle of the type shown in Figure 3.

In carrying my invention into practice, I may start with any suitable base or foundation, although, preferably, and for the purpose of adapting the procedure to the operation of the modern roofing plant, I propose to use as the foundation, continuous sheets of felt composed of any desired fibers, the sheet being rendered water-resistant as by impregnating the same with a saturant such as molten low melting point asphalt, and the impregnation being carried on either by immersion of the sheet in a bath of the saturant, or by spraying the saturant continuously on to one or both faces of the sheet. Instead of treating continuous sheets, I may also first pre-form strips of desired shape from a sheet of felt and then subject these precut strips to the treatment to be described. After the sheet has absorbed the desired quantities of the saturant, a coating layer of blown asphalt having a melting point in excess of 200 F., is then applied to the surface thereof, and while the coating layer is still in adhesive condition the fragments of felted fibrous material are showered thereover in any convenient way so as to be distributed or arranged thereon, in the manner described,

' and aflixed to the foundation by the adhesive coating material.

One of the features of my invention resides in the fact that I may use as the source of the fragments, waste scrap roofing material of which considerable quantities normally accumulate in a roofin plant. This Waste material may be either 1n the form of scrap felt, scrap saturated or saturated and coated felt, or it may be waste portions of finished roofing material that are necessarily cut away in producing shingles of certain designs or tab configuration, as for example, the narrow strips that result from forming the finished sheet with slots which serve as tabdefining notches or recesses in the shingles severed from the sheet. Aside from the economical advantages of utilizing this waste roofing, the product is rendered still more weather-resistant and durable in use particularly where the fragments are composed of waterproof felted fibrous material. The fragments to be used in accordance with my invention should measure approximately one to four inches in length, one-half to one inch in width and about one-eighth to one-fourth inch in thickness. In many instances waste material approximating these dimensions will be available and can therefore be conveyed to a reservoir or hopper from whence they can be directly showered'onto the coated sheet. However, where the waste, such as the cut-out pieces severed from the sheet in the formation of tab-defining recesses, is not of the proper size, it will be obvious that it may be reduced by any convenient form of chopping mechanism to appropriate dimensions.

In the figures, the numeral 10 designates the asphalt impregnated base of my product and 11 designates a layer of coating material such as high melting asphalt overlying the saturated base; Figure 1 illustrates the appearance of the strip shingle in its com leted form, while in Figure 2 the finishing ayers of coating and surfacing material have been omitted in order to illustrate the arrangement and appearance of the fragments upon the surface of the coated base. As will be noted from Figure 2, the fragments indicated at 12 are distributed indiscriminately and in various angular positions, over the surface of the base. As will be observed, there will be numerous points over the surface where the fragments are spaced from one another to a greater or lesser extent, while at other numerous points, the adjacent fragments lap one another more or less, thus providing the base with elevations and depressions occurring haphazardly over the surface thereof, as already described. The sheet carrying the layer of fragments 12 afiixed thereto by the interposed coating layer 11 is then supplied with a second coating 13 of waterproofing material, as for example molten asphalt, overlying the bulking layer of fragments, and serving to further seal the fragments onto the surface of the foundation to prevent their dislodgment by weathering action on exposure. This last named coating serves also as the medium for providing the foundation with a finishing layer of granular mineral surfacing material which may be showered thereover and caused to become partially imbedded therein in the customary manner, whereupon shin les or shingle strips of any desired size an tab configuration, may be severed from the sheet.

In the several views I have shown for purpose of illustration, what is known as a square butt strip shingle, Figure 1 indicating the 1 shingle in its completed state, carrying the layer of fragments substantially over its entire exposed surface and provided with a layer of surfacing material 14 partially imbedded in the coating layer overlying the fragment covered base. Inasmuch as the layer of surfacing material conforms to the outline of the coating material super sed upon the fragments, the surface 0 the finished shingle presents a pleasing rou htextured appearance as illustrated in 1gure 1.

Instead of depositing the fragments upon the entire surface of the sheet, I may confine the bulking layer of fragments substantially to those zones of the sheet which will form the exposed areas of the shingles subsequently severed from the sheet, as illustrated in Figure 3. In this mode of treatment, the second layer of coating material 13 may be applied over the zones of the sheet carrying the fragments, or if desire, over the entire surface of the sheet, whereupon the mineral surfacing material 14 may be applied over the coated surface of the sheet.

Also in many instances, the shingle of de sired shape may be cut from a sheet of saturated felt and the pre-cut shingles then treated as desired for supplying the exposed areas thereof with the bulking layer of fragments.

Alternatively and with considerable advantage, shingles embodying the features of my invention may be produced by cutting the shingles of the desired size and configuration from a sheet carrying the layer of fragments over its entire upper surface or over the portions thereof which are to form the exposed areas of the shingles, and then subjecting the pre-cut shingles, as by immersion, to an additional coating bath of asphalt or the like so that the coating material will not only seal the fragments to the surface of the base, but also seal all the exposed surfaces and edges of the pre-cut shingle. A noteworthy feature of this type of procedure is that upon submerging the shingle carrying the fragments in the coating bath, considerable quantities of the coating material will collect and be retained in the depressions occurring at numerous points on the surface of the shingle between the adjacent fragments with the result that increased quantities of the weatherproof coating material are carried by the shingle and the latter thus rendered more durable in use. It will be understood, of course, that after the pre-cut shingle has had the coating material applied thereto as by immersing the exposed areas thereof in the coating bath, any desired mineral surfacing may be applied to the coating and partially imbedded therein. It will be understood, further that this layer of mineral surfacing will conform to the rough and uneven outline of the coating layer overlying the fragments so that the finished shingle presents a rough-textured and pleasing appearance.

In Figure 4, I have illustrated, in crosssection, the appearance of a shingle having the fragments 12 confined along the lowermost or exposed portions thereof, and provided with coating material 11 aloigg its surface, the fragments being arranged on said coating and affixed thereby to the foundation. The coating material overlying the fragments is indicated at 13 and the granular mineral surfacing partially imbedded in the coating overlying the fragments and in the coating on the upper or unexposed portions of the shingle, is indicated at 14. It will be obvious that where the fragments are supplied to the entire surface of the sheet, the superposed coating and surfacing will generally likewise extend over the entire transverse dimension of the shingle.

, I claim as my invention:

1. Composition roofing comprising a waterproof foundation. a layer of bituminous coating material overlying said foundation, and fragments of felted fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating to provide a surface of irregular contour.

2. Composition roofing comprising a waterpro'of foundation, a layer of bituminous coating material overlying said foundatlon, fragments of felted fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating in such manner as to present a surface of irregular contour, and a surfacing layer of comminuted mineral matter overlying said fragments.

3. Composition roofing comprising a waterproof foundation, a layer of bituminous coating material overlying said foundation, and fragments of felted fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating, said fragments being distributed over said coating in various angular positions, with numerous of the fragments overlapping one another to provide the surface with elevations and intervening depressions.

4. Composition roofing comprising a waterproof foundation, a layer of bituminous coating material overlying said foundation, and fragments of felted fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating, said fragments being distributed over said coating in various angular positions, with numerous of the fragments overlapping one another to provide the surface with elevations and intervening depressions, Waterproof coating material superposed over said layer of fragments, a layer of granular surfacing material partially imbedded in said last named coating material, said layer of surfacing material conforming in outline to said elevations and depressions.

5. Composition roofing comprising a waterproof foundation, a layer of bituminous coating material overlying the portions of said foundation which are to form the exposed areas, and a discontinuous reenforcing layer of fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating, said reenforcing layer consisting of spaced apart elongated fragments of felted fibrous material distributed over said coating in various angular positions in order to provide a surface of irregular contour.

6. Composition roofing comprising a waterproof foundation. a layer of bituminous coating material overlying the portions of said foundation which are to form the exposed areas, and a discontinuous re'enforcing layer of fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating, said reinforcing layer consisting of separate elongated fragmentsof felted fibres disposed indiscriminately and in more or less overlapped relationship over said coating for the purpose of providing a surface of irregular contour, and a layer of lying said foundation, and fragments of waterproof fibrous felt overlying and adhering to said coating in such manner as to present a surface of irregular contour.

8. Composition roofing comprising a foundation of waterproofed fibrous felt, a layer of bituminous coating material overlying said foundation, fragments of waterproof fibrous felt overlying and adhering to said coating in such manner as to present a surface of irregular contour, waterproof coating material superposed over said layer of fragments, and a layer of granular surfacing material partially embedded in said last named coating.

9. Composition roofing comprising a foundation of waterproof fibrous felt, a layer of bituminous coating material overlying said foundation, a layer comprising scraps of waste felted and waterproofed fibrous material overlying and adhering to said coating to provide a surface of irregular contour, waterproof coating material superposed over said layer of scraps, and a layer of granular surfacing material partially embedded in said last named coating material.

10. As an article of manufacture a com- Y position shingle comprising a base of waterproof felted fibrous material, having one of its faces provided with a layer of bituminous coating material, the portion of said face which is intended to be exposed to the weather being provided with an adherent layer comprising scraps of waste felted and waterproofed fibrous r'oofing material to provide a surface of irregular contour, a coating of bituminous waterproofing material superposed over said layer of scraps, and granular surfacing material partially embedded in the last named coating layer.

Signed at Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey this twentyfifth day of February, A. D. 1929.

GEORGE P. HEPPES. 

